page_title: 2015–2016 protests in Moldova
section_title: Autumn protests
hierarchical_section_title: 2015–2016 protests in Moldova / Timeline / Autumn protests
caption_attribution_description: September 11, 2015 protests in Moldova
context_page_description: Starting in the spring of 2015, Moldova experienced large-scale protests amid a worsening economic situation and corruption scandals. The protests gained momentum in September, when up to 100,000 people demonstrated in the largest protest since Moldova's independence from the Soviet Union in August 1991.
  The protests have been organised by a grass-roots citizens' movement, Dignity and Truth, that was established in February 2015 as a response to the disappearance of $1 billion from the Moldovan banks in 2014. Dignity and Truth is led by lawyers, journalists and other well-known figures in Moldova.
context_section_description: Tens of thousands of people manifested in Chișinău at the call of the Justice and Truth Platform. According to police, between 35,000 and 40,000 people attended the demonstration, while organizers estimated around 100,000 participants. The protest was the biggest since Moldova's independence movement in the early 1990s, bigger even than the mass anti-communist protests of April 2009. Participants adopted a resolution demanding early elections, the resignation of President Nicolae Timofti and all leading institutions of law, including the Prosecutor General's office and the National Anticorruption Center.
  Clashes broke out with police at the prosecutor general's headquarters, where activists attempted to set up an occupy-style tent encampment. Opposition leaders have accused the prosecutor general of being an instrument of political persecution. Supporters of the radical left Red Bloc Party tried to break the police cordon and forcibly enter the prosecutor's office. Police detained seven activists, including Antifa movement leader, Grigory Petrenko. A team from a local television station in Moldova was accosted by demonstrators. Likewise, six policemen were injured and one woman was hospitalised. According to Interior Minister Oleg Balan, "their scope was to devastate the prosecutor's office". Police removed tents in front of the prosecutor's office. However, more than 90 tents were set up by protesters in Grand National Assembly Square, vowing to continue their protest until demands are met.
  Three Russian journalists from the pro-Kremlin television LifeNews were detained at Chișinău International Airport. They were forbidden to enter the Republic of Moldova. The film crew intended to publicize the protests. Russian officials reacted to the arrest of three journalists. "Actions of the new leadership in Chișinău demonstrate their unwillingness to have constructive relations with Russia", stated Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry. In the same context, Zakharova mentions that authorities' actions against Russian journalists "violate freedom of speech and access to information".
  Prime Minister Valeriu Streleț invited protest organisers to "talks", at the Ministry of Agriculture headquarters, but they announced they will not attend the meeting. A group of representatives of the Platform previously participated in a meeting with Streleț, at the Government headquarters, where they asked him to sign the list of claims, which was presented in the square. Amid the protests against the oligarchic regime, Vladimir Plahotniuc fled Moldova the same day for Geneva.
  Concomitantly with the meeting, the Unité phone company, belonging state-owned telco Moldtelecom, announced intentions to organise a free, open air concert, immediately criticised as an attempt to undermine the protest. Under the pressure of comments on social networks, many artists, starting with Ștefan Bănică, Jr., have declined participation, which could be interpreted as a political gesture.
  A week later, another major protest took place in Chișinău, attracting 20,000 people from all over Moldova. Clashes between supporters of the Dignity and Justice civic platform and a group advocating Moldova's unification with Romania broke out soon after the rally began. The city centre has been cordoned off and many law enforcers were deployed on the streets. A resolution was adopted at the end of the demonstration, in which protesters call for a general strike and formation of a political movement and a so-called government of popular trust.
  On 29 November, another protest organized by DA Platform took place in the Grand National Assembly Square. Demonstrators and supporters of the platform have expressed dissatisfaction with the political and economic situation in the country and called for early elections. To ensure security, hundreds of police formed two cordons in front of the Government. During the protest, DA Platform representatives said they will create a political party. Protests also took place in Bălți, Orhei, Cahul, Hîncești, Un
caption: Tents installed in the town of "Dignity and Freedom", as protesters dubbed their encampment in front of PM office.[55]
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